


I'll Be Here Beside You

by Formally_yours



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Gen, New and improved format, Nightmares, No Spoilers, No plot just fluff, Self-Indulgent, There's that one chapter where Nyanko-sensei can just see Natsume's nightmares so, i wrote this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 21:09:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19411459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Formally_yours/pseuds/Formally_yours
Summary: Nyanko was pulled from a pleasant dream about sake and sparrows by an overwhelming feeling of distress. He cracked his eyes open with a small grunt, flicking them over to the human nestled tightly into the futon next to him. Natsume’s brows were furrowed and his mouth turned into a prominent frown. His shoulders had that hunched look he got whenever he closed himself off, and when Nyanko squinted, he could see fresh tear tracks running down his cheeks.





	I'll Be Here Beside You

**Author's Note:**

> 2/24/2020 - no change to the content, just made it actually readable

Nyanko was pulled from a pleasant dream about sake and sparrows by an overwhelming feeling of distress. He cracked his eyes open with a small grunt, flicking them over to the human nestled tightly into the futon next to him. Natsume’s brows were furrowed and his mouth turned into a prominent frown. His shoulders had that hunched look he got whenever he closed himself off, and when Nyanko squinted, he could see fresh tear tracks running down his cheeks. 

The nightmare, when he prodded, was obviously the problem. Dark toned images flashed through Nyanko’s (Natsume’s) mind of coldhearted adults, mean-spirited children. He watched a wolfish looking woman turn a gleeful blind eye as her son tripped a smaller, even more delicate looking Natsume. The young Natsume careened into the ground and Nyanko felt the backlash of the phantom pain it caused. The figures morphed, as they always seemed to, into the almost-but-not-quite picture of the Fujiwaras. Their soft faces were sharpened into disapproving scowls and mocking laughter as Natsume, Nyanko’s Natsume, cowered. 

Nyanko scoffed. Natsume was one of the strongest humans he had ever seen, perhaps only rivalled by Reiko herself, and yet he acted so weak. If he wanted to, he could kill a youkai with the snap of his fingers, have twenty under his thumb with a wave of his hand. If Nyanko ever met the foolish mortals who caused these constant interruptions of his rest, they’d sorely regret it. 

Natsume let out a strangled whimper, Nyanko wondered when he learned to quiet even the most instinctual of noises, and curled into himself. After watching for a moment more, the tight feeling in Nyanko’s chest that he _refused_ to call worry prodded him to action. In a quiet puff of smoke, he filled the room with his true form. His paws were awkwardly placed to avoid furniture, and his tail froze in place before knocking everything on the desk to the ground. Slowly, he curled himself around Natsume’s futon, creating a large nest with Nyanko’s charge at the center. His large fuzzy chin gently rested on top of Natsume, who began to stir. The oppressive feeling of anxiety lessened as one of his eyes cracked open, enough to see the white fur in the dark. He rolled back onto his back, bringing up his arms to comb through what he could reach for a moment.

“Ny..nk..sei..” He mumbled as his eyes slipped closed again, breath evening. Nyanko watched as he fell back into slumber, waiting for the feeling to return with a tense alertness that he obstinately did not acknowledge. When it didn’t, he let out a breath. 

_It’s alright, ridiculous child of man. I have seen and fought off far worse than a few nightmares; you are safe here with me._

As if in response to his unsaid proclamation, Natsume began to lightly snore, and Nyanko could dimly sense the presence of a pleasant dream. He couldn’t be bothered to look in on it now that everything was alright, and he had his own rest to be getting to after transforming. With an undignified shimmy, Nyanko returned to his lucky cat form, wriggling beneath Natsume’s crossed arms to curl up on his chest. 

He dropped his weary head as his eyelids grew heavy, and allowed the even human heartbeat beneath him to lull him to sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this short thing very quickly because I like the evolution of Madara "I'm just waiting until I'm hungry enough to eat you" to Nyanko-sensei "How dare you go anywhere dangerous without me to protect you".


End file.
